Metal base denture, method of making the metal bases, and forms therefor



K. J. SIMMETH Jan. 12, 1932.

METAL BASE DENTURE, METHOD OF MAKING THE METAL BASES, AND FORMS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 23, 1930 2 Sheets'-Sheet 4 5109971757. zinma w arz ym Jan. 12, 1932. J slMMETH 1,840,982

METAL BASE DENTURE, METHOD OF MAKING THE METAL BASES, AND FORMS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 23, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a? I dfzze J.

Patented Jan. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KARL J'. SIMMETH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO BAKER & COMIPANY, ENQ,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY METAL BASE DENTURE, METHOD OF MAKING THE METAL BASES, AND FORMS I THEREFOR Application filed January 23, 1930.

This invention relates especially to the metal base upon which the artificial teeth are secured by vulcanite or other composition, and the objects of the invention are to enable improved metal bases to be made of soft metal instead of the stiff metal which has been employed heretofore; to secure a construction of such soft metal bases by which i they are reenforced, when complete, to semetal to a minimum; to enable dentists to make metal bases easily and conveniently,

without the necessity for heavy and expensive v presses and other equipment; to avoid the necessity for metal dies or matrices, and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a view of a fiat blank of soft thin sheet metal which is employed for the main part of the metal base for an upper denture;

Figures 8 and 9 are plan views of said forms after being shaped upon said model;

Figure 10 is a plan view of the doubler shown in Fig. 9 when it is ready to be applied to the main part of the metal base, looking at its inner side or side opposite to that shown in Figure 9;

Serial No. 422,806.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the completed metal base;

Figure 12 is a cross-section taken on line 12-12 of r ig. 11, looking in the direction of the arrow;

Figure 13 is a longitudinal section taken on line 13-13 of Fig. 11;

Figure 1 1 is a side elevation of the completed base as shown in Fig. 11;

Figure 15 shows one of the retention lugs before being applied to the base, on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 16 is a cross-section of a completed denture embodying my invention, corresponding to the section of the base shown in Fig. 12.

In carrying out my invention, blanks of thin malleable sheet metal are shaped into forms approximately fitting those portions of the oral cavity to which dentures may be applied, and such forms are supplied to dentists, being preferably sold in three sizes, small, medium and large. I have illustrated and will describe the forms for a full upper denture, said forms being shown in Figures 36 and made from blanks 1 and 2, shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively. The reference numeral 3 indicates the form for the main part of the denture, said form being made from the roughly semi-circular or semi-elliptical blank 1 corresponding to the outline of a set of teeth, and the reference numeral 4- indicates the form. for what is termed a doubler to be superposed upon the palatal portion of said main part 3, said doubler form being made from the rounded triangular blank 2 so as to extend only to the inner sides of the teeth. These forms 3 and 4 are scoop-shaped, that is, trough-like with one end open and the other closed by a curved end wall 31, or 41, inclined at substantially the same angle as the side walls 32, or 42, and roughly approximately the shape of the palatal portion of the oral cavity so that the dentist can as hereinafter described readily fit them accurately and perfectly. They are shaped to the conformation described without materially impairing the uniformity of thickness of their palatal portions, and if in 7 doing this the curved end wall 31 of the main 'part 3- be .slightly thickened for its upper marginal portion this provides more metal for the bending of it outward and downward over the gums.

It will be understood that the dentist makes a stone model 5 for the upper denture of any particular patient, and then selects from his stock forms3 and'toif the next larger size.v

purpose, of wood, metal or the like, annealing the form from time to time as necessary, until he has it accurately fitted, as shown. in

Figure 8. If necessary, in doing this, he may slit the outer wall of the form at its periphery, since these slits can be readily soldered together again, and in making such slits he can even remove a V-shaped piece of the metal if desirable; this may also be done at the palatal portion, for especially deep palates. The operator also trims the peripheral 'edge of the form either before or after the stage shown in Figure 8, so that it is eventually of the configuration. shown in Figure 11. Furthermore as soon as the o erator has the form approximately to the shape of the model?) he puts it and the model into a hand I press with rubber or the equivalent resting against the form, and exerts pressure thereon to assist the form in conforming as a whole to the model. Indeed, the operator presses the form in this mannerat intervals during.

' the burnishing and annealing operations, to

make sure that it in general conforms to the I configuration desired, while he is bui'nishing j I it to fit the detail impressions of the model.

- Said press is not shown in the drawings, as

" it is common and well-known tothe dental art, in making plates and bases for dentures. When the operator has finished shaping v the. main part 8 of the base,-he lays. it to one side and then shapes the forma into 7 a doubler 9, seeFig. 9, in substantially the same manner as has beendescribed for the main part 8, it being understood that the Q edge of this doubler 9 terminates just short of the top ofthe ridge 1O ofthe model when completed and that its two rear corners. 11, 11 are adapted to overlap the top of said ridge,

7; v as shown in Figure 11. The doubler has at.

the beginning its rear edge shaped or grooved i as at 12' to engage the groove 7' of the model I md positionit exactly the same as. the main part 3 was positioned.

When the doubler 9' has been shaped it can be superposed upon the main part 8 of the base, its rear groove 12 registering with the rear groove of the main part and its peripheral edge terminating at-thetopof the ridge of the main part or a little short thereof, as

shown in Figures 11-13., A wire 13 of about 24 gauge, is then soldered to the edge of the inner or convex side 01 the doubler, as shown in Figure 10, and the doubler burnished and pressed into close superposed relation to the mainpart 8. The groove 12 at the rear portion of the doubler is then trimmed away, and at this "rear edge the operator, runs solder into the space between the doubler 9 and main part8 until the same is filled and thetwo plates thus firmly and rigidly secured together. This obtains strength and rigidity in the finished denture of my invention, which are lacking in either of its parts, the doubler 9 and main part 8, and which lack enablesv them to be formed conveniently and easily as has been described. 1

the surface of the vulcaniteQ To provide a similar slioulderat the peripheral edge of the outer wall of the main plate part 8 or" the base, a wire 14 is soldered thereto, conforming to the shape of said edge and terminating at its rear ends'i5", 15 at the corner tongues '11, 11 of the doubler which have been bent over" the ridge of the main part 8 and into which the ends of the said wirel i are merged, as shown in Figure 11, to form a pocket between the edges of said main part and said doubler to receive the vulcanite andto reenforce the juncture of said edges of the main part and the doubler.

Retention lugs 16, originally somewhat U- shaped pieces ot ribbon metal, for convenience, are soldered by theirbases to the metal base upon the portion thereof between the tWo wires 13 and 14 which receives'the vulcanite or similar composition, and the arms of these lugs being bent over form loops which engagethe said vulcanite or other composition and secure it firmly to the metal base.

My invention enables any dentist to make his :own metal basesconveniently' and easily and without long and hard labor or the use of heavy and expensive presses. This is because he is able'by my method to use light and malleable sheet metal, the necessary stiiiness of the metal base being secured by superposing the main part and doubler and con- 'nectingthein as I have described... Commercially the forms will be sold as has been stated and-preferably with each twocomplementary forms will be sold two wires of the length and size required, the proper number of retentionlugs and the proper amount of solder,

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be made up according to my invention with great facility, economy and accuracy.

Various modifications maybemade in carrying out my invention, by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and therefore I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: 7

1. In a denture, a swaged metal base comprising a main part, a doubler secured thereon in superposed relation with one portion of its edge registering with a portion of the edge of the main part and another portion of the edge of the doubler terminating short of the corresponding edge of the main part and raised from said main part, a wire upon that portion of the edge of the main part which extends beyond the doubler, said wire merging into the ends of the said raised edge of the doubler to form a pocket between the doubler and the main part and reenforce the uncture of the edges of the main part and the doubler, and artificial teeth mounted in a suitable composition filling the space between said wire and raised edge.

2. In a denture, a swaged metal base comprising a main part, a doubler secured thereon in superposed relation with one'portion of its edge registering with a portion of the edge of the main part and another portion of the edge of the doubler terminating short of the corresponding edge of the main part, a wire between said main part and last-mentioned portion of the edge of the doubler raising said edge from the main part, a wire upon that portion of the edge of the main part which extends beyond the doubler, said wire merging into the ends of the said raised edge of the doubler to form a pocket between the doubler and the main part and reenforce the juncture of the edges of the main part and the doubler, and artificial teeth mounted in a suitable composition filling the space between said wire and raised edge.

8. In a full upper denture, a swaged metal base comprising a main part adapted to extend over the gums of the wearer, a doubler secured to the palatal portion of said main part with its rear edge coinciding with the rear edge of the main part and the remainder of its edge terminating short of the ridge of said main part and raised from said main part, a wire upon that portion of the edge of the main part which extends beyond the cloubler, said Wire merging into the ends of the said raised edge of the doubler to form a pocket between the doubler and the main part and reenforce the juncture of the edges of the main part and the doubler, and artificial teeth mounted in a suitable composition filling the space between said wire and raised edge.

4. In a full upper denture, a swaged metal base comprising a main part adapted to extend over the gums of the wearer, a doubler secured to the palatal portion of said main part with its rear edge coinciding with the rear edge of the main part and the remainder of its edge terminating short of the ridge of said main part, a wire between said main part and last mentioned portion of the edge of the doubler raising said edge from the main part, a wire upon that portion of the edge of the main part which extends beyond the doubler, said wire merging into the ends of the said raised edge of the doubler to form a pocket between the doubler and the main part and reenforce the juncture of the edges of the main part and the doubler, and artificial teeth mounted in a suitable composition filling the space between said wire and raised edge.

5. The method of making a metal base for a denture, which consists in swaging a main part and a doubler separately upon a model and forming grooves to said main part and said doubler for registering said parts, and later removing the grooves from said parts.

6. In a denture, a swaged metal base comprising a. main part, a doubler secured thereon in superposed relation with one portion its edge registering with a portion of the edge of the main part and another portion of the edge of the doubler terminating short of the corresponding edge of the main part, a wire between said main part and last-mentioned portion of the edge of the doubler raising said edge from the main part and reenforcing said edge and the main part, and artificial teeth mounted in a suitable composition filling the space between said wire and raised edge.

KARL J. SIMMETH. 

